The Cuckoo calls

In his series on birds that breed true, Grant Brereton takes a look at the perhaps quite obviously named Cuckoo variety of poultry, outlining how the pattern is inherited

- Grant Brereton

The Cuckoo plumage variety in poultry bears a vague resemblance to the common cuckoo (the one that hijacks the nests of much smaller wild birds and leaves its offspring to be reared by foster parents). However, when it comes to chickens, the term cuckoo more accurately reflects the markings of cockerels rather than hens. Female cuckoo chickens have a combination of loosely marked black-and-white striped feathers, where the colours blur indiscriminately into one another. Males are similarly marked, but quite often have wider stripes and marginally more distinct markings on each feather, being more of a grey-and-white as opposed to the black-and-white seen in the feathers of cuckoo females.

LOOKING BACK IN TIME

It is difficult to pinpoint accurately the origins of the cuckoo pattern. Although some suggest that it came to British shores as early as the Phoenician period over 2,000 years ago, others believe that it more likely stemmed from farmyard fowls which were later developed into breeds that we know today. Whatever the case, a plausible relative and possible ancestor for breeds that have a cuckoo version — such as the Faverolles, North-Holland Blue, and Cuckoo Marans — is the Belgian Malines breed, which is a soft-feathered, large and meaty egg layer.